It’s not long ago that Lamar Jackson was a college football phenom that many NFL draft critics openly doubted could succeed in the National Football League. But at the midway point of the 2019 NFL season it’s clear that this is Lamar Jackson’s league, and we are all witness to just how good a quarterback he is.
Fresh off handing the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots their first loss of the season, Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens went to Cincinnati and absolutely ripped the winless Bengals apart. It was a laugher in a hurry with Jackson under center, as he scored twice through the air and built a commanding lead.
In the third quarter, though, Jackson gave us what will undoubtedly lead his highlight reel for some time to come. Leading 28-10 and facing a second and three from the 47, Jackson took the snap and fake a handoff, then took off to run for the first down, blowing past a Bengals defender in the gap to hit open space.
LAMAR. JACKSON.
That's it. That's the tweet. @lj_era8
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Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/414bcK9I5b pic.twitter.com/bcKITPODez— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2019
A juke made two more Bengals miss, then Jackson went Full Madden and hit the spin button to up the ante. From there, it was a gentle glide into the end zone to effectively put the game out of reach, if it wasn’t already there.
It’s glib to describe Jackson as moving like a running back on this play, as some critics once said that’s all he would project to be in the NFL. But having a player like that under center, especially one throwing the ball so successfully so far in 2019, is an incredible asset in the modern NFL. Teams should be terrified of Jackson and the Ravens, especially if he can make plays like that happen consistently.
